Bannon sticking by Moore 'through thick and thin'

Steve Bannon is not backing away from Roy Moore, the controversial Alabama Senate candidate facing a slew of accusations that he had inappropriate sexual contact with teenagers.

Two sources close to the former White House chief strategist and Trump campaign CEO, who helped turn the September Senate primary into a referendum on Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, swatted down speculation that Bannon was reevaluating his support for Moore in the wake of the allegations.

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"It is 100% fake news that Steve Bannon would abandon Judge Moore," said a source familiar with Bannon's thinking, comparing the situation with the Access Hollywood video scandal that prompted calls for Donald Trump to drop out of the presidential race.

"He is standing with Judge Moore through thick and through thin. The polls show the people of Alabama believe Judge Moore is innocent until proven guilty and these charges have not seen any evidence produced backing them up," the source added. "The people of Alabama are smarter than the political class in Washington, the fake news locusts in the media, and the financial donor-class elites on the island of Manhattan. Judge Moore still has the support of the people of Alabama."

Bannon returned to the helm of Breitbart News when he left the White House in August, and his decision to redouble his support ensures that the contest will continue as a showdown between Moore and his supporters, on the one hand, and the Washington establishment on the other.

"Mitch McConnell and his failed pack of liars that surround him like Josh Holmes, Steven Law, and Karl Rove will fail in their effort to steal the election from the people of Alabama. It’s time for new Republican leadership in the United States Senate," said the same source, who was referring to Republican strategists.

Several Republican senators, including McConnell and Cory Gardner, the chairman of the National Republican Senatorial Committee, have called on Moore to drop out of the race, and the Republican National Committee on Wednesday severed its fundraising relationship with his campaign.

The White House and Republican leaders are weighing a host of bad options, from pushing Attorney General Jeff Sessions to launch a write-in candidacy to expelling Moore from the Senate if he's elected. Recent polls show the race between Moore and Democrat Doug Jones tightening, though Moore maintains a three-point lead in the RealClearPolitics average.